


Danny

by chadleymacguff



Series: PELTS [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Character Development, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-09
Updated: 2012-10-09
Packaged: 2017-11-15 23:29:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/532961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chadleymacguff/pseuds/chadleymacguff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny didn’t date. Not like you could tell from the number of guys he’d slept with. He didn’t really see the point behind it. It was just pointless to him. That whole ‘getting to know you thing’. The going out to the movies, the cuddling on coaches, the public displays of affection. Why do all of that when you could just have sex?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Danny

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again to Reyne for beta reading for me! Here's the fanmix for this chapter: [Danny](http://www.mediafire.com/?1ri8pz8a2tk684v) The music for this chapter goes some the subject and some with the setting but again, it's all up for interpretation.

**Entry 37**

So last night wasn’t what you’d expect when going out to your resident gay club. Sure, I guess you could say that I’m too young to even know what clubs like that are supposed to be like, but hey, I like to take life by the horns are really just show it who’s boss. If you’ve been reading my blog you can tell that’s how I operate.

I suppose if you’re all the way to this entry then you’re an avid reader of my escapades. To that I say, good for you. I’m sure it’s entertaining to read about my fantastic life. I can’t blame you.

But enough praising myself.

So last night, I slip downstairs as quiet as a mouse, as per usual, and the parental units are sitting around reading or playing boggle or scrabble or something boring and elderly. I think one of them said something asking me where I was going. I replied like I usually do, “I’m heading over to a friend’s to study.”

They buy it like they always do. I mean, honestly, why wouldn’t they? I’m a perfect student and I’m barely any trouble at all. Let alone I’m an only child. They pretty much have to let me do whatever I want; I’m all they’ve got. Don’t wanna lose me.

So I get downtown to club Jungle looking great as always. I’m wearing my new boots that I got from New York over the summer, some of my tightest jeans that show off all the right places and a Givenchy shirt that I borrowed from Jackson a couple of months ago (that I have no intention of returning). God I hope he never reads this.

I get to breeze past the line since I know the bouncer. I know I saw a few familiar faces, who shall remain nameless (Ted, Eric, Phillip), give me the stare from the back in the shadows. They could stare all they want, they weren’t going to stop me from having a good time.

I popped over and saw my favorite bartender Tony, who always gives me my drinks for free and slipped over to the dance floor to find someone to share the song with. That’s all these guys are good for anyway, free drinks and a quick dance. If they’re good looking you can maybe get more out of them but it’s really slim pickings on a Wednesday night.

The music was particularly good last night. DJ Headstrung was spinning and he always plays my favorite tracks. Sometimes he’ll even let me come up in the booth with him since we’re such good friends. Somewhere in the middle of his set I spotted his guy. He had to have been staring at me for a good ten minutes cause I could just FEEL his eyes on me. Like he was trying to undress me on the floor.

Needless to say I went home with the guy. I mean how could I not? He was hot and I’m hot so of course I would hook up with him.

When I snuck back in the parentals must have been sleeping cause I didn’t hear anything but snoring when I came down the hall to my room. I had the hardest time avoiding the creeping steps on my way up. Why is it that no matter how quiet you are those damn things always creek? Oh well. I wasn’t caught so it made no difference. Can’t wait to do it again this weekend!

XOXO  
Danny Ma

 

Danny snapped the computer closed and rubbed his eyes. His head was throbbing from the copious quantities he’d gorged himself on the night before.

He strolled over to the vanity he made his mother buy him on his fourteenth birthday. It was black and draped with accessories and Christmas lights that illuminated the dark frame. Danny liked to be obscure with his decorating, yet still be stylish.

The person staring back at his was just a ghost of himself. His eyes were sunken from a long night out partying with little sleep. He reached a hand into the open drawer to his right to pull out the concealer that was almost empty. Danny would never admit that he wore makeup to anyone, not even his best friend Isaac knew his secret. It was necessary for keeping up appearances. He couldn’t very well go to school looking ‘rode hard and put away wet’.

After a few applications he was starting to look like himself again. He walked over to his closet and rummaged in the bag he’d left next his bed. Danny practically carried it everywhere. It was something his Aunt had given him for his birthday last year. Ever since he got it, they were inseparable.

After shoving things around the bottom for a minute or two he finally found it, the Polaroid camera he takes with him all the time. Danny wouldn’t call himself a photographer by any standard but he knew how to point and shoot.

The camera was another gift he’d received over the years. He didn’t really know what to do with it after he received it. For a while it just sat on his dresser collecting dust next to the numerous stacks of books he’d already read. It wasn’t until last year that he actually found a good use for it.

Danny pulled out the photograph of the man he’d let at the bar the night before. Although he made it seem like he didn’t know or care who the guy was in his blog, Danny always got to know his partners a little bit before sleeping with them. At the bottom of the photograph were his name, age and number.

He opened his closet, pushing the hangers on opposite sides to reveal a wall of Polaroid’s of various sexual conquests. They all varied in age and race but they all had one thing in common, Danny. He pinned the newest photo next to all the others, becoming another face in the crowd. Danny smirked at the thought of the guy.

 _He was nice_. He thought. _Almost boyfriend material._

Danny didn’t date. Not like you could tell from the number of guys he’d slept with. He didn’t really see the point behind it. It was just pointless to him. That whole ‘getting to know you thing’. The going out to the movies, the cuddling on coaches, the public displays of affection. Why do all of that when you could just have sex? Maybe it just wasn’t his thing. He would think to himself.

The thoughts never really crept into his head very often. But when they did he found himself rationalizing why through a series of scenarios:

1)The obvious one where they start dating and they fall madly in love, get married and live happily ever after in a house in the suburbs with a couple of kids.

That would never work for him. Danny wasn’t the domestic type. At least he wasn’t after the last boyfriend that he had. But he was never going to talk about that. Ever.

2)They become fuck buddies. Danny and what’s-his-name would exchange numbers and meet up periodically to fuck and what not. It would never work. The other guy would eventually catch feeling for him and want to go out on dates or some shit that he really wasn’t interested in doing. It’s happened twice before and he was not about to go through that again.

Danny always opted for the third option because it was the best. No string attached and he didn’t really have to talk to the guy too much if he didn’t want to.

3)The one night stand. Get in. Hook Up. Sneak out. No muss, no fuss.

Sure it seems like the sure a cavalier way of approaching things but that’s how he liked it. Loose. It kept things fresh and often uncomplicated.

After pulling on some fresh clothes and a pair of black shades he opened his room door. There was stirring downstairs. It had to have been his parents. Well, them or burglars but it seemed too early in the morning for someone to be robbing the place.

Danny grabbed an empty bag that was hanging behind his door. It was his backpack. It was pretty much always empty. He never felt the need to bring his books home when he did the work in class while the teacher was talk or in a study hall, and he knew all the material anyway. So why bother?

His boots made a familiar thump with each slow step. He needed to take his time with all the sun that was pouring into the windows his mother had opened. She was a huge advocate for natural light. Danny didn’t care for that aspect of her personality. It was just one of her many quirks that grated on his nerves.

Danny dragged his feet into the kitchen, his mother was cooking breakfast at the stove and his father was at the table doing a crossword. They were both silent, other than the occasional ‘what’s a four letter word for’. Danny always thought there was something weird about his parents. They were almost Stepford in the way that they would behave. He would always just brush it off as him being a normal teenager. What teenager doesn’t think their parents are odd?

Mr. and Mrs. Mahealani didn’t even acknowledge the fact that he’d sat down at the table. His mother simply scooted over and placed a plate in front of him. The same as most days: whole wheat waffles, eggs and a few strips of bacon. He never complained. Especially since he was normally nursing a hangover and it did him good to have some breakfast before school.

Mr. Mahealani cleared his throat as if to say something and slapped the newspaper on the table. He grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair and exited through the garage door. His mother promptly did the same, folding her apron neatly and placing it in the bottom drawer nearest the stove.

He heard the door close behind her and he was alone. Danny was always alone at breakfast and in more ways than one. It seemed like his parents simply tolerated his existence. They never really spoke to him about anything concerning his personal life or school unless it was necessary, which was typically at public functions.

Danny finished his breakfast and washed his dish, slapping it into the dishwasher to dry. His mother had already done all the dishes from their breakfast. They were usually up about an hour or so before him and already ready to leave by the time he came downstairs.

There were thoughts that would swim through his head when he’d look at garden in the backyard. He thought back on how he and his father planted everything back there years ago. It was weird at the time that his father even wanted to do stuff with him because they never did anything together. Danny remembers how really didn’t want to be outside in the sun helping him dig around in the dirt. Funny, now he thought back on the memories fondly.

Danny pulled out a bottle from this pocket, dropping a small drop in each eye. There was no way he was going out with bloodshot eyes.

\--

Whenever Danny would get to the parking lot he’d park in the far back. No one ever really parked back there so he never had to worry about anyone seeing him. No one was there to see him or judge him for sitting in his car by himself. No one that ask him ‘what’s wrong’ as he sat silently staring forward, sometimes letting out a few tears before he knew he had to go in for classes. This was where Danny would go to be alone, if only for a few minutes out of every day. This was the place where he didn’t have to pretend.

After about ten minutes he’d get out of the car, locking the door and jogging up to the entrance of the school. He’d stop for half a second to take a deep breath and mentally prepare for the fake smiles that he was going to have to put on for the rest of the day. That fake persona that everyone knew him as, a characterized version of Danny that he let the rest of the world see.

He’d pull open the door and he was on, the mask on to hide behind. Danny didn’t have to pretend when it came to Stiles and Isaac, they were his best friends. Around them he had to be a less distorted version of himself but a version nonetheless.

He’d hug Stiles from behind when he would see him coming and kiss Isaac on his eyebrow, hearing a protest in his ear as he moved in.

“So did you guys have fun at the party the other night?”

Isaac shrugged looking off somewhere in the distance. Danny didn’t read too much into it, he was pretty much always like that. Stiles, however, was a different story. He went on and on about hanging out with this guy named Derek that he talked about at length, forgetting that they were there and know exactly who he is. But its’ okay, Danny doesn’t stop him. It’s cute.

“So are you and Derek, like, _fucking_ or something?”

“What?! Where’d you get that impression?”

“Well, the way you’re gushing about the guy. I don’t know about you, but I only talk about someone like that if they give good D.”

“No, no. It’s not even like that. We’re just friends.”

Danny could see a flush in his cheeks. Stiles was trying to look everywhere but in his eyes because he knew the second that he did, it was all over. Danny would know and his secret little crush or whatever it was would be out there for all to see.

“Whatever. See you chem Isaac.”

He stomped off like he usually did. Not out of anger but out of dominance. Danny was one of those popular kids in school that could hangout with pretty much whomever he wanted and no one would bat an eyelash. He was a social butterfly and he loved the attention. It was addicting to be that one person that everyone talked about whenever he’d walk by. Danny loved that feeling. It was something that he craved.

**Entry 41**

So last night was different. I didn’t meet anyone new at out at Jungle but I did meet a few familiar faces. I ran into that guy from entry 37. He was still as cute as ever and this time I think he dressed up just for me. I think he was wearing a bowtie. There’s just something a bowtie that I really love. He asked for my number this time instead of just giving me his. I guess he got tired of waiting for me to call.

XOXO  
Danny Ma

\--

It wasn’t like Danny to be this interested in a guy. He was very love ‘em and leave ‘em, for his own benefit. But there was something different about him. Danny could tell because he even bothered remembering his name, Jamie. It was cute and short; something that Danny thought fit him perfectly. They didn’t really go out on any dates but they did see each other quite often, often enough for Danny to not have seen the inside of Jungle for a straight month.

\--

Danny wasn’t sure how to feel about Jamie at this point. He would only call him after nine, most of the time he was doing homework, and it would only be for sex. Don’t think that Danny was complaining because the sex was fantastic, but he didn’t want to feel like a play thing that you only take out of the drawer every once in a while. Sure he wasn’t into the whole ‘date’ thing but it would be nice to go out every now and then, in the daylight to be seen by other people.

\--

He tells himself that he wasn’t expecting much from it in the first place. So when Jamie finally stopped calling and ignoring his phone calls, it would hurt less. But it didn’t. Danny just put on that trademark fake smile when others where around and would sit in his car to be alone. He tried to tell himself that he’d be alright but no matter how many times he stared at his reflection, he couldn’t make himself believe it. That’s probably when he started carrying his flask with him everywhere he would go.

Being drunk was second nature to Danny at this point. It was easier than dealing with the way things were when he was sober. No one noticed his sluggish movements or garish behavior or if they did they never bothered to say anything.

Scott found Danny sitting up against the farthest wall of the men’s room. He couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or just had his eyes closed. Either way he was still breathing, so that was a good sign. Scott always used this particular bathroom because it was on the side of the school people didn’t frequent often, meaning the stall were always clean. He could only guess that Danny was here for the same reason.

The two of them never really talked. Scott knew that he was one of Stiles’ best friends. They would all hangout in Stiles’ room and do whatever it was that they did or go out and party, he would usually stay home and attempt to study or watch something on tv. It wasn’t like he was anti-fun, it was just that no one ever offered.

Scott took a few steps over towards Danny. He turned on the faucet and let the cold water splash against the plunger, the contrast of temperature soothing his warm hands. Scott took a look at himself in the mirror trying to make as much noise as humanly possible to make sure that Danny wasn’t passed out.

The boy let out a low hum of discomfort followed by him scurrying over to the toilet in the nearest stall. A swirl of unpleasant sounds filled the room, echoing off the tiled walls. Scott waited until he saw Danny collapse next to the seat to offer any assistance.

“Dude, are you okay?” His voice was full of genuine concern.

Even if the two of them weren’t the best of friends, he wanted to make sure the guy was going to be okay before he bolted out of the door to leave him in a pile on the floor.

“Yeah. I’m just…a little—“

His words were cut off by the retching into the porcelain bowl next to him. Scott wrinkled his nose in the opposite direction, trying to keep down what little was still in his stomach.

“I’m okay. Don’t worry about me.”

Danny pressed his head against the cool of tiles that stretched three fourths the way up the wall, the lids of his eyes eclipsing their way to a close. Scott pulled the strap of his bag, tossing it against the wall to take a place next to the distressed youth.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we never really talk. You talk to practically everyone in school, including the teachers, but we’ve never shared more than three words.”

Danny nodded slightly before coughing into his fist. He could smell the remnants of alcohol on his breath. It was enough to make his stomach churn but he was determined to keep down what little contents were left in his digestive track.

“I’ve noticed. It’s nothing to do with you really. We’ve just never had a reason to talk. Plus you have that whole, social/anti-social thing going on for you.”

Scott cocked his head slightly to the left.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re on the lacrosse team and you’re even a co-captain but you don’t go out and do stuff with the team. You practically have no social life.”

Scott merely cooed a noise of agreement.

“So, why have you been hammered almost every day for like week or so?”

“It’s kind of personal.” Danny said straightening his back against the wall, looking for some comfort on the hard surface.

“Isn’t it better to tell a stranger your problems?”

He was right. Telling someone that didn’t know him all that well could be helpful and Scott was as close to a stranger that he was going to get.

“It’s nothing really, it’s just some guy.”

“Is that all I’m going to get?”

“What do you want from me?” He shrugged.

Scott chuckled into his shoulder as he rummaged around in his bag to pull out a stick of gum that he passed to Danny.

“What about him?” he asked, slipping a stick passed his lips for a few quick chews.

Danny unwrapped the gum slowly. He was stalling. Danny wasn’t one to tell the truth to anyone. Scratch that. He wasn’t one to tell the WHOLE truth to someone. Anything he said was a version that he concocted to sound better or less incriminating. His fabrications were infamous; he’d based an entire blog on lies that made his life sound so much more glamorous than it actually was. Spinning a web of deceit wasn’t something he couldn’t do, so why was he finding it hard to do right now?

Maybe it was the alcohol clouding his judgment. That had to be it. It had nothing to do with Scott’s earnest eyes or genuine level of concern.

“His name was Jamie.  He was just some guy that I met a few months ago that I started seeing recently.”

“Were you in love with him?”

“No. It wasn’t anything like that. I think I was just infatuated with him.” Danny pressed a hand onto his temples. “I guess he didn’t feel that same way. It’s something I should have expected.”

Scott watched him push at the pressure forming in head, his jaw tightening and releasing with ever chew. He stood up and extended an arm towards the wary boy.

“Don’t feel bad for putting yourself out there. It’s more than I’ve ever done.”

He tugged on his arm pulling a still not-so-sober Danny to his feet. His legs wobbled a bit before he found his footing.

Scott clapped a hand onto his shoulder.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself Danny. As my dad used to always say, there’s a gem hidden in the clutter.”

He shot him a smile, slinging his bag onto his back and exiting the room in a hurry.

Danny tried not to spend much time thinking about the boy’s kindness as he heard the door gently closed behind him. He wasn’t used to people like him, people that weren’t looking for something in return. Let’s rephrase, Danny wasn’t used to people being nice to him that weren’t looking for a peek at what he was hiding in his jeans. Sure, Stiles and Isaac weren’t like that but they were friends; that’s what friends do for each other, Scott didn’t owe him anything. They weren’t friends in any sense of the word.

He stood in front of the mirror looking at the disheveled mess that appeared before him. The water ran into the sink, echoing into the empty room. His hands caught a puddle that splashed against his face. The water beaded slowly off the tip of his nose, his thoughts collecting like the pool under him.

\--

“Bring Scott with you.”

Danny wasn’t talking any louder than he usually did, it was the added silence of Isaac and Stiles that made it seem like a booming request.

“Why?” Isaac asked, hanging upside down from the monkey bars. Something he could easily do with his long limbs and freakish lower body strength.

“He doesn’t seem to get out much and I wanted him to feel like one of the gang since he’s practically Stiles’ brother at this point.”

“Well did you ask Stiles what he might think of the whole situation?”

Stiles said nothing as the two looked at him for a response of change in mannerisms. But he was unphased, he simply took a long drag on his cigarette and blew circles into the ether, giving them a shrug.

“Then it’s settled. You’ll bring him out to the club on Saturday and we’ll show him a good time.”

“Wait, are we going to Jungle?” Isaac was sucking on a hard candy he’d found in his pocket.

“Where else?!”

\--

The loud thumping of the music vibrated the walls of the club and shook into his boots. Scott was literally shaking in his boots.

“Come on!”

Danny said grabbing his hand, pulling him to the dance floor. They pushed their way from the bar passed the sweat covered bodies decorated in glitter and glowing body paint, a swirl of fragrances dancing around them in a contraction of warmth and muscles.

Scott could hear Danny say something but the music was too loud and he was just out of earshot. He stopped somewhere in the center moving into a free space. Some song he wasn’t familiar with bumped through the speakers.

Danny must have known exactly what it was, he moved his body in a circular motion, as if to seduce and attract a mate. It made Scott laugh a little. It was a visible amusement, which must have been want Danny was going for because he joined in.

He gripped both Scott’s shoulders and rocked him in rhythm with the beat, leading him to dance on his own. It took Scott almost until the end of the track but he finally let his muscles relax and get lost in motion and exciting energy of the room. He was having fun for the first time in a long time and Danny could tell.

Danny leaned in to press his cheek against Scott’s. His skin was warmer than he expected, he ran hotter than most guys he’d come in contact with. He whispered a yell so that he could hear him through all the commotion.

“You helped me out the other day, so I wanted to return the favor and make sure you have a good time tonight.”

By the end of the night Danny could barely walk straight so he knew he wasn’t going to be able to get home by himself. Lucky for him Scott wasn’t as drunk as he was which was weird to him because they’d had the same amount of shots. It had to have been a tolerance level thing. Clearly Danny was going to have to invite him out more.

Stiles and Isaac waved a goodbye to Danny as Scott helped him into the passenger’s seat, being careful not to hit his head on the ceiling. The ride to Danny’s house was a blur. He remembers saying something about the crappy music on the radio and telling him a few turns to get to his house but that’s just about it. When he opened his eyes they were sitting in his driveway.

“Oh, I guess were here.”

“We’ve been here for ten minutes. I’ve been trying to wake you up for about five.”

Danny griped something that was inaudible and opened the door. He heard the door on the opposing side of the car open but before he could say anything in protest, Scott had Danny’s arm slung over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m helping you inside. I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t, now would I?”

Danny didn’t say anything; he just let him help him up to the door, where Scott had to put the key in the lock because Danny dropped it at least twice before he missed the keyhole entirely. He let him walk him up the stairs and to his room at the end of the hall, where he threw himself on the bed.

Scott took a minute and looked around his room. It was surprisingly tame, the room a muted shade of red with black curtains that somehow tied the room together. Danny had multiple shelves of books all over the room, the walls of the room were mostly lined with bookshelves. It just didn’t match the person sprawled out on the bed behind him.

“Did you read all of these?” He asked ghosting a few fingers over the rows of books.

Danny stretched, arching his back against his expensively soft bed spread under him, moaning a sigh into the air before responding.

“If it’s on a shelf, yes. The only ones I haven’t read are in the stack by my desk.”

“That’s impressive.”

Danny rolled over, propping himself up on his elbows, his eyes watched Scott move around the room to glance over the titles of the numerous tomes.

“You sound surprised.”

Scott tilted his head to the side slightly.

“Well, you just don’t seem like the type.”

“And what type would that be?” Danny sat up to pull off his boots and toss them into the closet.

Scott kept his back turned. He could hear a rustling of clothes and wasn’t sure what he was going to see if he turned around. He looked down at his watch.

“Oh wow! I had no idea that it was this late. I’m supposed to get the car back to my mom. She has an early shift in the morning.”

He turned around to find Danny sitting indian style on his bed. Danny was wearing his glasses and a silk pajama shirt with matching pants. Scott had to admit that he was half expecting to find him naked so this was again, not what he expected.

“I guess I’ll see you later.”

Scott was feeling a little embarrassed that he jumped to the conclusion that Danny was trying to seduce him. At this point he couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Before he get all the way through the door frame Danny stopped him.

“I hope you had fun tonight.”

“Yeah. I did. Thanks again.”

\--

Danny slid the hangers on opposing side’s looking for something to wear for tonight. Everything he’d wore at least once and there was no chance in hell he was going to repeat another outfit. For this he was going to have to buy something new. Just as he was stepping away he caught a glimpse at his wall of polaroids. It’d been a while since he’d added a new photo to the mix, the last one was Jamie. If he was going to actually get over this guy, maybe it was time to resume his previous routine.

\--

Danny couldn’t remember what his name was but he took his picture anyway, like he always did. His apartment smelled like cheap cologne and old takeout containers, it was an odor that really stuck out in your memory no matter how long you tried to forget it. It was probably why he couldn’t get the images out of his head as he walked down the dimly lit street.

The man had to have given him something in his drink because everything was haze yet vivid all at the same time. He could still see his beard, its course hair rubbing roughly against his face, the feel his hand gripping his face tight as he forced his tongue in his mouth. Danny tried to force him off but the man was bigger than him. He told him to stop and kicked under him but he just continued. The man flipped him over, pulling down his pants and underwear in one swift motion, his weight slamming into his repeatedly until he came onto the small of his back, the hot rope against his skin standing out in his mind.

Danny stopped under a flickering lamp post. He let the tears slips down his face, there was no one around to judge him or console him so why not just let it all out.

“Danny?”

He heard a recognizable voice from the shadows up the street.

“Are you okay?”

It was Scott. Danny wiped the water from his face, wondering what the hell he was doing on this side of town especially at this time of night.

“Scott? Is that you?”

He knew that it was him but it was just something that you say in these types of situations.

“Yeah. What are you doing out here? You really shouldn’t be walking around at this time of night by yourself.”

Danny simply nodded, sniffling as quiet as he possibly could without drawing attention.

“Do you…what a ride home?”

\--

Danny didn’t say anything the entire way to his house. He just stared ahead, watching the white lines disappear under the darkness that passed over the moving vehicle.

When Scott pulled into Danny’s driveway he flicked off the engine. It was clear that Danny wasn’t okay. He was typically way more talkative than this.

“Thanks for the ride.” His voice was flat as he pulled on the door handle.

Scott grabbed his arm before he could make his way out of the door. He felt Danny flinch under the touch making Scott recoil his hand.

“Are you okay? You didn’t say anything on the way over here. That’s not like you at all.”

\--

They sat in silence. Scott sat at the foot of his bed on the floor with Danny next to him. Scott wasn’t sure how he’d ended up here in his room again. Maybe it was Danny saying he didn’t want to be alone him his house, at least not tonight. They were spaced apart enough for it to be noticeable for both boys. It wasn’t something that made Scott uncomfortable but the silence definitely was.

Danny let out a sigh which was the first sound that passed between the two of them over that last fifteen minutes.

“I noticed your parents aren’t home again.”

Danny stood up and walked over to his dresser, trying to pull off his shirt in a way that didn’t expose to bruises that he could feel forming on his ribs. He wasn’t sure where they came from. It must have been from that guy. He wasn’t ready to talk about it and why would he be? It was still a fresh wound that was nowhere near healing.

“Oh. Yeah, they’re almost never here.” The pushed around looking for a particular shirt, unaware that Scott was taking in the sight of his discolored skin. “And if they are here, they’re not really here.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Danny pulled on an old t-shirt of some random school function he’d attended sometime over the years.

“You know those trips that I take over the summer? I take those by myself.” He was leaning over the open drawer staring off somewhere. “I just tell people that I go with my parents to keep up appearances. They don’t even talk to me anymore. I think the last time we’d had a conversation is when they gave me my car three years ago. I don’t even think they wanted me to be honest.”

He pushed the drawer closed, the sound of the wood hitting against the slotted housing filling the quiet room.

“I’ve never told anyone that.”

Scott shifted, pulling at his shoelaces. He pushed his feet at the back of his shoes working them off to sit beside him.

“Why are you telling me now?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just tired of pretending.”

Danny walked over to his closet and pushed the hangers apart like he usually did, exposing the hidden wall of photos.

“Come look at this.”

Scott walked over to look at that dozens of photos on men, their names and ages varying.

“Who are all of these guys?”

“Guys I’ve slept with.”

Scott looked at the polaroids, touching a few to get a better look.

“Why do take pictures of them?”

“To be honest I have no idea. I think it was just something to remember them. According to some of my dad’s books, its’ probably an emotional thing. Some way for me to have a tangible representation of a connection with another human being.”

Scott nodded stepping backwards to sit on the bed. Danny took a seat next to him.

“Ya know, everything I do is basically an act. I scored a 2310 on the SAT and a 33 on the ACT. I have a 118 IQ and a choice of pretty much any college I want but I act like an idiot. I shouldn’t act like this. I pretend to be this whimsical guy that parties all the time and blogs about all the fun I have, it’s just all a lie.”

“Then why do you do it?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged, shaking his head.

Scott clapped a hand onto his knee, squeezing a bit to give him some semblance of comfort. He didn’t say anything but it was okay. Danny got the point.

\--

Danny woke up sometime before the sun was fully up. It had to have been between four and five. He could hear a light snoring coming from the floor. Danny looked over to find Scott sleeping soundly on a few of his extra pillows, his jacket tossed over him for warmth.

He got up and draped the blanket that usually lay at the foot of his bed over him. Danny smiled a bit to himself taking in the sight of Scott, his little twitches in response to whatever he was dreaming about. It was nice to have someone there, to have someone listen when he needed it.

Danny saw the pictures on his closet wall. He walked over and ripped them all off, tossing them into shoebox and heading downstairs. Danny pulled open a drawer and found the matches he was looking for.

He emptied the contents of the box into the small grill on the back porch. The cool air nipped at the hairs on the back of his neck. He was standing in his underwear and a t-shirt, the stone path chilling under his bare feet. Danny struck a match and tossed it into the bottom of the grill. The edges of the photos crinkled and withered into the flames, the light reflecting onto his face in the darkness of the morning.

In his hand was still a strip of pictures of him and his last actual boyfriend. He stared at them for a moment before tossing them into the flames. Sure getting rid of the photos didn’t kill the memories of all of the people or even kept them from creeping into his thoughts on occasion but it was a step in the right direction. If there were guys like the one sleeping on his bedroom floor, he didn’t need to any of these things anyway.

Danny pulled the false back out of one of the lawn gnomes, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one. He didn’t like smoking because it was a horrible habit but in this case he deserved it. Hey, it wasn’t every day that you start making life altering decisions.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to develop Danny as character that could work into this series but I wanted to kind of gloss over his sexual exploits in a way. It was a bit intentional just so you could see that way he looks at sex. I rated this M versus T&UP like the previous because of the subject matter. We don't know much about Danny so I tried to do him justice the best I could.


End file.
